title: Processing practices contributing to Campylobacter contamination in Belgian chicken meat preparations.
abstract: The aim of this study was to obtain insight into processing practices in the poultry sector contributing to the variability in Campylobacter contamination in Belgian chicken meat preparations. This was achieved by company profiling of eleven food business operators, in order to evaluate variation of processing management, in addition to statistical modelling of microbiological testing results for Campylobacter spp. contamination in 656 end product samples. Almost half (48%) of chicken meat preparation samples were positive for Campylobacter spp. Results revealed a statistically significant variation in Campylobacter contamination between 11 chicken meat producers across Belgium at both quantitative and qualitative detection levels. All producers provided Campylobacter-positive samples, but prevalence ranged from 9% up to 85% at single producer level. The presence or addition of skin during production of chicken meat preparations resulted in almost 2.2-fold increase in the probability of a sample being positive for Campylobacter, while chicken meat preparations made from frozen meat, or partly containing pre-frozen meat, had a significant (Odds Ratio=0.41; CI 95% 0.18:0.98) lower probability of being positive for Campylobacter. However, the quantitative results indicated that the positive freezing effect on Campylobacter count was compromised by the presence and/or adding of skin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. imca.sampers@howest.be
authors.forename: Imca
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sampers
authors.forename: Ihab
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berkvens
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dumoulin
authors.forename: Lieven De
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Zutter
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyttendaele
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005525:Food-Processing Industry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology